Where the Wild Things Play
by Living Pretty
Summary: "Posey, what kind of a name is that?" He sneered. "A name my mother chose. She thought the world could use more flowers." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye before exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air, "Flowers don't grow in the wasteland, sweetheart."
1. Sweet Child o' Mine

Chapter One

Sweet Child O' Mine

**She's got a smile that it seems to me  
****Reminds me of childhood memories  
****Where everything  
****Was as fresh as the bright blue sky  
****Now and then when I see her face  
****She takes me away to that special place  
****And if I stared too long  
****I'd probably break down and cry**

**Sweet child o' mine  
****Sweet love of mine**

**...  
****She's got eyes of the bluest skies  
****As if they thought of rain  
****I hate to look into those eyes  
****And see an ounce of pain**

**Sweet child o' mine  
****Sweet love of mine**

James Bennett had done many praiseworthy things in his life. He'd founded a life changing science experiment, fell in love and married a beautiful women, and become a gifted physician. Yet he had never felt a stronger surge of pride than at this moment, when he held his firstborn child. "Catherine!" He exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement, "Catherine, we have a daughter!" Above his surgical mask, his eyes practically glowed with happiness, the skin around them wrinkling due to his enormous smile, hidden behind the mask.

James looked from the squalling infant in his arms up to the pale wan face of his wife, who smiled back, despite her obvious pain. "James, let me see her." Carefully, as if the infant were made of glass, the doctor reached over and placed the baby in her mother's arms. Catherine cooed appreciatively and touched a finger to the baby's cheek. "Oh," she crooned, "She's beautiful."

"Isn't she?" Said James, joining his wife at the head of her bed and smiling down at the pair of them.

In truth, the newborn was bright red and had her face screwed up in an almighty wail and was far from beautiful. Not that it mattered to two adoring parents. The child could have been bright purple and have a pig snout instead of a nose and they would still have thought her to be the most priceless treasure in all the world.

"Doctor," Said a nurse, "The image is done loading." the man turned the screen to face the parents and Catherine said, "My goodness, she _is _beautiful."

The face projected on the screen was much closer to what someone who wasn't prenatally biased would think of as beautiful. She was the perfect combination of her parents, leaning a little closer to her father. They had similarly high cheekbones, long sloping noses ending in a subtle point and deep set eyes. He father's features were thicker, and the girls were delicate, she looked fragile, made of spun sugar. She had her mother's fine, thick hair and large eyes with thick lashes but her father's coloring. Pale blonde locks and bright blue eyes. Eyes the color of what the sky should have been.

"She...she looks like you." Said Catherine weakly.

"But she has your lips." Said James affectionately, tugging down his mask and tipping his wife's chin up to plant a kiss on her full lips.

There was a frantic beeping and Catherine's eyes fluttered shut, "James.." She mumbled, and the doctor's eyes sharpened and he quickly took the baby and handed her to a nurse,

"I need twenty milligrams of that nurse. Catherine, Catherine listen to me. You need to stay with me, please stay with me." For the first time since the heart monitor went off, James's voice cracked.

"Posey.." She said numbly, looking around with blank eyes.

"What?" Said James, leaning closer.

"The baby, Posey."

"Posey, of course love." There were tears in his eyes as the others bustled about with medical equipment he knew was too outdated to work.

"The world could use more flowers." Catherine said, finally locking eyes with her husband. Her face was pale, too pale, and when she took his hand, and pressed it to her lips, it took too long for the blood to flow back into them, causing them to flush back to red. James nodded silently not trusting his voice.

"Doctor her levels are dropping."

"James." Her voice was just above a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Catherine." His voice broke and he ducked his head, taking her hand and pressing it to his cheek, "Please..."

"She's gone into cardiac arrest!" Shouted a nurse to his left.

"Catherine...Catherine!"

Behind him, despite the nurses gentle shushing noises, their child wailed.

* * *

"Well, Posey my love." James Bennett's voice was low and rough, and his eyes red rimmed. "It looks as though it's just you and I now."

The baby slumbered on, eyes peacefully closed. "What sort of world have I brought you into?" He said in a strangled voice, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Posey, I'm so sorry."

Unaware of her father's grief, the baby slept on. She didn't know her mother was gone, or that her father was within an ounce of giving up on everything that he had his wife had worked for. Everything except, "You." He said, looking down at the sleeping child. "You're all I've got left now. And I don't intend on that changing anytime soon." He kissed her soft forehead. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."

There was a soft knock on the door and James looked up to see Doctor Madison Li entering the small room he was sitting in. "James, I'm sorry to disturb you." She said softly. James looked back down at the baby in his arms and said, "It's quite alright Madison."

"I'm so sorry about Catherine."

James closed his eyes at the mention of her name, but other than that made no mention of his wife's passing.

"I can't do this anymore." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"I can't do this anymore, Madison." He repeated, louder this time.

"But," Doctor Li's face registered nothing but shock. "James," She pleaded, stepping forward, "We're so close!"

"I'm sorry." Said James simply, getting to his feet. He looked around at the room where he and his wife had been staying and started packing up his meager belongings into a leather backpack, leaving the baby swaddled on the bed.

"You can't give up now James!" She hissed, stepping forward. "It's not what Catherine would have-"

"You don't know what Catherine would or would not have wanted." James snapped, for the first time in that evening, and truly the first time for as long as Madison Li had known him, showing anger in his usually kind blue eyes. "She would have wanted our child to be _safe. _And she can't be safe here. My daughter needs me, Madison."

"The world needs you more!"

James shook his head and hiked the backpack up onto his shoulders. He went to the bed and gently lifted his child up and held her close. He looked back at Doctor Li, who looked angry, confused and ultimately just tired. "I'm sorry Madison," He said simply, "But this is goodbye."

"Where will you go?" She demanded, looking on the verge of tears.

"Anywhere, to keep her safe."

* * *

One Year Later

"My goodness Posey." Chuckled James, entering back into the room where he had left his daughter, "Disobeying me already?" He asked. Posey looked up at him and smiled a toothless grin. She was sitting in front of her toy box, the gate to her playpen wide open.

"You're already proving to be a handful." He mumbled, scooping up the toddler. "What am I going to do when you're a rebellious teenager?"

The child grabbed at his nose and cooed unhelpfully and James laughed before pressing a kiss amid the soft covering of wispy blonde hair on the top of her head.

"Look there Posey," He said, crouching down and pointing to a framed phrase on the table. "Revelations twenty one six, your mother's favorite verse 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely'." Posey, of course, didn't do much with this information, just patted the frame, knocking it backwards. James laughed and set it upright and put the squirming child down. "Alright missy, you can walk." He said, watching the child toddle off, "Your mother would have loved to see you grow up Posey, I know she would have." He said, mostly to himself. He pushed himself up onto his feet and held out his hand, "Alright, let's go see if your friend Amanta wants to play." Posey placed a small, dimpled hand in his and together they walked into the vault.

* * *

Nine Years Later

The Good Doctor had watched his daughter grow up under the fluorescent lights of Vault 101 and despite it's many unfavorable aspects, he never regretted bringing his daughter to the Vault. Of course, she had no idea she'd been brought, but he wouldn't let her know this hadn't been her birth place. He already saw the curious flash in her eye when anyone mentioned the outside world, and he'd found several books under her bed about surviving in the wild. Pre-War books of course, so they were outdated and not very helpful when it came to the Capital Wasteland but it was enough to know that she was interested. He tried to assure himself that she had read everything that the vault had to offer, so she was just naturally curious about everything, but he still worried.

It had been years since his wife's death and his move to Vault 101 but he still missed her everyday. He wished Posey could know how wonderful her mother had been, he wished he could adequately explain to her about the project that brought he and Catherine together, but Posey could never know about Project Purity. He knew she would want to help, even at the tender age of nine, she would want to know everything about it, to go and help with the effort, and he couldn't let her leave this place. This place of metal safety and albeit confinement.

He leaned back from the papers he'd been pouring over and groaned, rubbing his tired eyes. He looked to the clock on his Pip-Boy. Five in the morning. He realized with a start that if it was truly the morning, then Posey was no longer nine years old. Today she was ten. An entire decade. "My, where has the time gone." He said to himself, into the empty office.

He knew he should rest, that Posey would be awake soon and wondering what he was working on. So he shuffled the papers into a pile and slipped them into an envelope and got to his feet, looking around the practically sterile vault walls and unforgiving lighting. He walked back through the halls of the vault, using only the flashlight of his Pip-Boy to navigate the dark halls.

"It's a bit late, isn't it doctor?"

James turned to see the Overseer standing with his arms crossed behind him.

"I suppose it is." Said James, his voice nothing but polite, though his skin crawled. Something about this Alphonse had always rubbed him wrong. "But, you of all people should know how paperwork is."

"Indeed I do." He said simply, "Working on Patient reports then?""

"Yes, dreadfully boring I'm afraid."

"May I see them then, I'd like to know how my vault residences are doing."

"Oh," James tightened his grip on the folder and felt his stomach drop. "No, I don't think that would be proper, Overseer. You know, with Doctor Patient confidentiality and all. Some embarrassing things in here."

The Overseer's smile tightened slightly, but he said smoothly, "Of course, you're a good doctor, James."

"Thank you." James nodded and headed his way back up the hall.

"James," Called the Alphonse, and James turned back. In the low lighting, the Overseer's deep set eyes were completely cast into shadow. "Your daughter is ten today, correct?"

"Yes, she is."

"Interesting.." He said slowly. "They grow up so fast, here in the vault, don't they."

"Yes, it does seem that way sometimes."

"She's safe here, remember that, Doctor."

James clenched his jaw tight, and it took all his self restraint to keep his hands from clenching into fists. "I never forget."

"See that you don't, Mr. Bennett."

And with that, the Overseer turned on his heel and disappeared into the dark corridors of the vault.

Slightly unsettled, James returned to his apartments and closed the door behind him. He knew he should keep his notes on Project Purity locked away in the safe in his office, but he wanted to keep them where he could look them anytime he wanted. He'd told Madison he was done with Project Purity, but in truth, he didn't think he could ever give up on Project Purity entirely. It was a bit part of his life, and honestly, almost like a second child to him. Project Purity was important. Not just to him, to the world. He was so close to figuring it out. He knew he could do it. He just needed a little more time. He looked at the dark living room, and saw a slight glow under the door to Posey's room. So he wasn't the only one burning the midnight oil. He crossed to the bedroom and knocked gently. There wasn't a response, so he opened the door.

Posey was asleep on top of her blankets, surrounded by books. She was laying on her stomach, with her cheek pressed against the pages of what he recognized as one of his old medical journals. He had no idea where she'd found all of these volumes. Books weren't exactly plentiful in the vault. Yet she had half a dozen. Some fiction, most nonfiction though, on varying topics, from rebuilding robots to a manual for gardening, which had to be centuries old. James chuckled to himself and set to gathering them up, making a neat stack on her bedside table, where a flashlight remained on, it's beam falling across his daughters face. Her thick lashes were so long they brushed her cheeks with her eyes closed, but they were also blonde and difficult to see without the direct beam of the flashlight on them. Her mouth was open slightly as she slept soundly, pale hair spread messily over her face and books. He gently removed the book from under face and pulled a blanket over her sleeping form. He brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead and placed a kiss where the hair used to be.

He walked back to the door after shutting off her flashlight and stood at the door, looking back at his daughter. Here she could sleep without worry. There was no need to assign someone to first watch. No need to make sure your weapon was within reach. Yes, she was safe here, in the vault. This was the place for her, even if she didn't agree. She was safe here. And that was all that mattered to him.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry this is such a monster of a chapter. I recently restarted my old Fallout game and I fell in love with it all over again. It's strange, if someone asked me which I liked better, Skyrim or Fallout, I'd respond Skyrim but nothing quite sucks me in like the story line of Fallout 3. So I decided to challenge myself and write a bit of a novelization of Fallout 3 with a few of my own twists. I don't know how much I'll stick with the games original dialogue or things of the like. Probably not much. Hopefully you guys like it anyway. This chapter's title is a song by Guns and Roses, but I prefer the Jasmine Thompson cover of it, if you care to listen to it. I think they lyrics just fit James and the Lone Wanderer's, in this case Posey's, relationship. Anyway, farewell dear reader!**


	2. Growing Up

Chapter Two

"Growing Up."

**...**

**We never had a chance, I remember that  
****And no matter what we do,  
****We'll never lose what we had growing up.  
****Won't bring us down.  
****Yeah, growing up,  
****It won't bring us down,  
****Growing up won't bring us down  
****Growing up won't bring us down  
****...  
****Graduate, what's a kid to do now?  
****Get away, yeah-ah.  
****We've got so much to prove.  
****Cause it's time to move on  
****And I'm stuck to let go,**

Posey woke with a start, and was unsure why. She was covered by a blanket and her books were stacked neatly on her nightstand. So that meant her dad had discovered her up past bedtime. Again. That would usher in a slight scolding, but she knew he wouldn't really mean it. He would berate her but his eyes would twinkle and his lips would twitch in an effort to conceal his smile. He loved the fact that she would bury herself with her books. "His Little Bookworm." He called her.

She sat up, stretching and trying to smooth back her hopelessly tangled blonde locks. She never really cared if her hair was neat or not, and neither did her father. So consequently, Posey ran around like a little ragamuffin, with her boots sloppily tied and her vault suit rumpled. But if anyone minded they didn't show it, except The Overseer, who made his distaste for her sloppiness known, and Butch Deloria of course, but Posey knew she would never have too high of an opinion in either of their eyes. A fact that seldom bothered her. She had her father, her books, and Amata. What use did she have for anyone else?

Posey tried to figure out what had woken her up so suddenly. She could hear soft movements in the living room. Her father already up and about, but she doubted that was what had awoken her. Then it hit her, it was her birthday! How could she have forgotten her own birthday? Admittedly, birthdays weren't made much of in the Vault, but still, you didn't turn ten everyday. Posey got to her feet and quickly changed into a fresh vault tec suit, and actually ran a brush through her tangles before stepping out into the living room.

"My goodness." Said her father, setting his papers down on the coffee table in front of their plain, Vault-issue couch and leaning back, looking at her with his usual kind glimmer in the eyes so similar to her own. "Who is this child with neat hair and tied shoes? You haven't seen a wild haired hoodlum about, have you miss?"

Posey stuck out her tongue but smiled all the same.

"Nope." She said, plopping down into the space next to him and placing her chin in her hands and looking up at her father with a mischievous spark in her eyes.

"Hmmm." Said her father, frowning slightly. "That is most troubling. She'd be about your height, nine years old, blonde hair."

"Is she pretty?"

"Prettiest girl in the vault." Posey smiled and her father winked at her. Posey struggled to reign in a giggle.

"You said she's nine?" She said, in mock solemnity.

"I did." Said James, looking very serious. Posey considered him for a moment, looking very pensive with her eyebrows drawn together and her eyes narrowed.

"Nope, haven't seen her." She said finally, flopping backwards against the couch. James frowned, "Oh, well that's a real shame, if you do, tell her her father misses her very much."

"I will. Are you sure she's nine?"

"Quite sure."

Posey felt her smile falter. Was he just playing along, or had he really forgotten? He got to his feet with a sigh, straightening his vault issued suit and saying, "Maybe she's down in the mess hall, care to keep me company while I look for her?"

"Sure, I guess." She got up off the couch, a little sulkily and followed her father down to the mess hall. She supposed she couldn't be too mad at him. After all, she herself had forgotten about her birthday.

"Here we are," He said, stopping in front of the door. "After you, miss." He gestured to the door and Posey pressed the button next to the door that activated it's opening, and she was greeted by a surprisingly loud chorus of "Happy Birthday!"

Posey jumped about a mile in the air and her father laughed. "Happy Birthday, sweetie." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently. "You didn't think I forgot, did you?"

Posey looked up at him with a grin so large, her nose crinkled and her eyes were almost forced shut.

"Of course not." She said, shaking her head. Amata Almodovar, Posey's long time (not to mention sole) friend rushed up to her, smiling almost as wide as the birthday girl herself. "Happy Birthday!" she practically squealed.

"Now Amata," Chided The Overseer, "give the girl some room."

Amata obediently backed up and The Overseer stepped forward, a supercilious expression on his face. "Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how important this day is. Ten years old." He said pompously. Behind The Overseer's back, her father rolled his eyes and Posey bit her lips to keep back a smile.

"You're old enough now to take on official vault responsibilities, and along with them, your own Pip-Boy 3000."

Posey's eyes widened as The Overseer revealed from behind his back a real Pip-Boy.

"Wow!" She said in delight, accepting it with an air of reverence. "Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Overseer, sir."

"You're quite welcome, young lady." He seemed pleased at the excessive honorifics. "I expect to see you tomorrow to report in for your new responsibilities."

Posey made a mental note to keep track of how many times Overseer Almodovar used the word "Responsibility."

But for now all she did was nod and hope her smile came off as respectful and grateful rather than amused and mischievous. It seemed to do the trick as The Overseer smiled stiffly and gave her a patronizing pat on the head, causing her father to once again roll his eyes. He came up to her after The Overseer moved on, smiling proudly down at his daughter.

"Look at you," He said warmly, "Ten years old and with your own Pip-Boy, I couldn't be more proud."

"I haven't done anything really." She said, looking up at him. He smiled again, "But you will." He said simply. "Now," He straightened up and said, a little louder, "don't stand here gabbing to your old man all day, go on, mingle." He ruffled her hair fondly and Posey obligingly turned away and ran into the still grinning face of Amata.

"Happy Birthday!" She repeated, positively bouncing with excitement. "We really surprised you, didn't we! Your dad was afraid you were onto us, but I told him not to worry, you're so easy to fool!"

Posey made a face but laughed and said, sincerely, "Thanks Amata, this party is really great."

"Don't thank me yet, it was mostly your dad's idea anyway, but wait till you see what I got you!"

She handed over a comic book, only slightly wrinkled and said, with obvious pride. "Grognak the Barbarian, issue number fourteen, with _no _missing pages!"

"No way!" Said Posey aghast, taking the comic book with gentle hands, her eyes practically bugging out of her head.

"Yeah! I know!" cried Amata, "I found it in a box of my dad's old stuff. Can you imagine him reading comic books!"

The girls dissolved into laughter at the thought of Amata's father, the prim and proper overseer, doing something as frivolous as reading a comic book.

"Alright, I guess you better go socialize with the rest of your party guests. Your dad invited everyone in our grade." Said Amata, giving Posey a gentle push.

"So six people then." Said Posey, cracking a smile. Amata laughed and pushed her a little harder this time.

"Go on and make some more friends, you misfit."

Posey laughed and looked around at her party with an appreciative smile, that dissipated slightly when her eyes landed on Butch Deloria and his bunch of goons. No matter how many times Posey protested Butch hated her, her father always laughed and said, "Oh Posey, no one could hate you. He probably just fancies you and doesn't want to admit it."

She loved her father, she really did, and she would always consider him the smartest person she'd ever known, but he could be a real idiot sometimes.

But today was her birthday, and so far, it had been a pretty great one, and she wasn't going to let some greasy slime ball like Butch make it any less so.

So she ignored the table where he and his idiot friends sat, and instead went and talked to Old Lady Palmer, a sweet old women with kind, dark eyes, who smiled endearingly at her as she approached.

"Hello sweetie, happy birthday!"

Posey smiled back and responded, "Thank you Mrs. Palmer. Thanks for coming to my party."

"My goodness, ten years old already. My, it seems like only yesterday that your father came here."

Posey's eyebrows quirked down slightly, _Came here? _She thought.

"But don't listen to me ramble on, you're here for your present, aren't you?"

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything, Mrs. Palmer. I was just-"

"Oh of course I did, you sweet little thing." Tittered the old women. "Here," She handed Posey a small bundle wrapped in thin cloth. Posey could already smell the warm butter and cinnamon smell of a-

"Sweetroll, just for you. Baked fresh this morning, and since it _is _your birthday, it's all for you, no sharing required!"

Posey's mouth watered and she held the bundle up to her nose, taking a moment just to appreciate the tantalizing scent of the sweet, and rare, treat.

"Wow, thank you so much!" Said Posey, "I love sweetrolls!"

"You are sweet," Said the old women, actually reaching out and pinching Posey's cheek. "Run along now, and have fun at your party!"

"Thanks, I will-"

But the rest of Posey's sentence was cut off as she found herself suddenly splattered with cake and frosting. Posey looked around to see the robot manning the bar with a circular saw covered in the innards of the cake and bits of icing and pastry spattered around in a circle. Posey laughed and shook her head, she started walking towards the bar but was stopped by an obnoxious, "Hey! Pissy!"

"My name is Posey, Butch." She said wearily, turning to face her long time bully with an uncharacteristically ugly look on her usually smiling face. A look mirrored by Butch Dilora, who even at the age of ten, was wearing his black hair slicked back from his face and was rumored to be carrying a switchblade around.

"Yeah whatever," He said with a sneer. "Hey, I'm hungry, and that stupid robot took out the cake! Give me that sweet roll you got from Old Lady Palmer!"

"Is it _your _birthday, Butch?" Snapped Posey, "It's my sweet roll, so shove off."

"You back talking me, Pissy?" He demanded, getting to his feet and glowering at her.

"Back talking?" Scoffed Posey, "Back talking is what it's called when you talk back to a superior." she said slowly, "And I don't think that is the case, _Bitch._" She smirked, "I'm sorry, _Butch_."

Butch was in her face with fists swinging before she could react, but in his anger he wasn't very focused. He did however, knock her sweet roll from her hands, which Posey then stepped on in an effort to avoid the barage. Now she was mad, but she didn't let it get to her head. Despite the adults shouts, who had finally realized what was going on, Posey merely ducked around Butch's frenzied hits and waited until his arms were down from his face and

_Wham!_

Her tiny fist connected solidly to Butch's nose, just as solid hand came down on her shoulder. Posey was whirled around to face her father, and the look he was giving her was one that was difficult to decode. Posey felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, and her little thrill of victory at blooding Butch's nose died. A moment ago, he'd been professing his pride, and Old Lady Palmer had been calling her a "Sweet little thing". Sweet little thing's, and father's pride and joys didn't go punching other kids in the face.

"Dad," She stuttered out, "Dad I-" Her head ached slightly from the weak punches she'd received and she had a bit of a scratch on her cheek from one of Butch's nails. He'd even managed to split her lip, but that wasn't what was making her feel horrible.

"Posey," He said softly, eyebrows knitting in concern. "Why did you hit that boy?"

"I didn't start it!" The words sounded childish, even to herself, and she hung her head, "I'm sorry Dad, he tried to take my sweet roll, and he kept calling me Pissy, which isn't even close to my name! And I swear, he hit me first. But..." She looked up at him, and at his eyes that were usually so expressive but were now unreadable and she felt sick suddenly, her excuses dying on her tongue. She'd really let him down, when five minutes ago, he had been saying he was proud of her, that she would make him proud.

"I'm sorry Dad, it's my fault." She mumbled, hanging her head and feeling tears sting her eyes. Her father was quite for a moment, and then he finally spoke:

"My Goodness, Posey. Where did you learn to hit like that?"

She jerked her head up, looking up at him with tear filled eyes. "W-what?"

Her father was keeping back a chuckle with difficulty and Posey saw him look around to make sure no one was looking. "Listen, I'm not condoning your act of violence, and I want you to go apologize to Butch, but-" a laugh escaped his lips and he caught his bottom lip in his teeth, "that was a good punch." He said, flashing her a smile. He saw The Overseer watching the pair and his smile melted. "Now," He said, a little louder, "Young lady, you go apologize to that boy." but he shot her a nearly invisible wink. Posey suppressed a grin, which wasn't difficult because smiling actually hurt with her split lip. Posey ducked her head and walked over to wear Butch was surrounded by his friends, and Officer Gomez who had glanced over his nose making sure it wasn't broken.

It wasn't.

She stepped over the crushed remains of her sweet roll, looking down at it with regret. That was the only casualty from this scuffle she would truly mourn.

"Butch," She said, shuffling her feet and avoid eye contact. When she did look up at him, she saw eyes full of an astonishing amount of venom for a fellow ten year old.

"What?" He spat, literally, spittle flying from his mouth and landing on her face. She braced herself not to flinch.

"I'm sorry I punched you." She said, and she herself was surprised at the apology's sincerity. "I shouldn't have done it."

"Yeah you better be sorry!" He snarled. "This isn't over Pissy!"

A tremor of anger ran threw her but she just glowered back at him before turning and stalking away.

The party kind of broke up after that. Amata shot her a sympathetic look before her father got up and decided it was time for them to leave. Freddy Gomez and his Father gave her a feeble "Happy birthday." Before heading out. Posey once again felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at her father's familiar face. "Are you ready for your real birthday present?" He asked quietly and Posey perked up slightly. "Another one?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yep, Jonas has it down on the reactor level. Why don't we go ahead and slip down there. I don't think anyone will mind."

"Yeah, I guess decking someone is a pretty good way to end a party." Said Posey regretfully.

James laughed and slipped an arm around her shoulder bracingly. "I suppose so, come on, my little boxer. This party was cramping our style anyway." Posey smiled up at him and it was such an innocent expression, her blue eyes positively shining with admiration that it made The Doctor pause for a moment. "Posey?" He said, as they walked out of the mess hall and down the hall towards the reactor level.

"Yeah Dad?"

"You are, without a doubt, my favorite daughter."

"Oh, well that's a relief. I was worried there for a moment."

"Ha Ha." He said, smiling wryly and ruffling her hair. Posey ducked her head away, but smiled and said, "I love you too, Dad."

Down on the reactor level, her father's assistant, Jonas, stood waiting for them. He saw Posey and said, with a slight smile on his lips, "What are you doing down here? I didn't think they allowed kids down on the reactor level."

"I'm ten years old now Jonas. I'm hardly a child." Said Posey with a slight air of haughtiness, which she ruined by trying to hold back a laugh which turned into a snort. "Besides," She said, laughing over her snort now, "I know you have my present down here."

"Alright, you think she can handle it Doc?" He asked, smiling and looking towards James.

"Oh, I think so." Replied James with a nod and a solemn expression on his face. "Are you ready for your surprise, Posey?"

"I was born ready." Said the girl, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her chin up in a defiant manner, though her eyes still shone with mirth.

"I don't think so, I would know, I was there." Replied her father, but he smiled and retrieved something from a metal locker, concealing it behind his back. "However, I will let the hyperbole slide. Very well then, here you go. Your very own BB gun." He held the small gun aloft, evidently proud of the gift. "I figure if you're old enough for Pip-Boys and "Vault Responsiblities" and fist fights,"

Jonas's eyebrows went up at that last item on the list.

"You're old enough for this. Jonas found it down here, in pretty bad shape, and we've been working on it for three months, scrounging up parts. Do you know how difficult it is to find a spring that small. Good thing Butch "misplaced" his switchblade."

Posey let out a delighted laugh as her dad handed her the small firearm. "Wow, a real BB gun!" She ran a hand down it's shaft and exclaimed, "Thanks Dad! Thanks Jonas!"

"Careful," warned James, "It's just a BB gun, but it's not a toy. I'm trusting that you're responsible enough for this, am I right?"

Posey nodded fervently and James smiled. "Good, now come see what Jonas and I have rigged up for you."

He brought his daughter to the makeshift shooting range he and Jonas had created. It was simple enough but Posey's eyes light up and she held up her gun, ready to try out her new present. Her first few shots went wild as expected, but as she concentrated a little more, slowed down and actually took time to line up her shots, her accuracy improved vastly. Posey laughed in delight as she hit all three targets in a row, causing them to spin around.

"Oh, watch it, I think I hear a radroach." Said her father, holding up a hand.

Sure enough, the disgusting creature scurried into sight and Posey's grip tightened on her gun. She hated radroaches, and all kinds of bugs in general. She'd read enough about them to know she wouldn't like them, even if they were still around.

"You can handle that, can't you?" He said bracingly, putting an encouraging hand on her shoulder.

"Sure she can." Said Jonas, "She was taking out those targets no problem."

"Go ahead sweetie, give it a shot."

Posey took a steadying breath and took aim at the scurrying creature, watching it flutter its wings with distaste before,

_pop pop pop_

Three short blasts later, and the radroach was in pieces.

"Well done!" Said James, clapping appreciatively. "Hey Jonas, I'd like a picture with this big game hunter. Capture the moment."

Posey stepped closer to her father, pointing her BB gun down at the floor as her father put an arm around her shoulder, both of them facing the camera.

"Smile big." Said Jonas, readying the device.

"Shouldn't be hard," Said Posey, "Seeing as this was the best birthday ever."

The camera flash went off, capturing a perfectly clear image of Posey and James Bennett, both of them smiling widely, not a care in the world.

* * *

"Posey," The Doctor's voice held a warning tone as he closed up his examination kit, "as far as I can tell you're a perfectly healthy sixteen year old, so yes, you do have to go take your G.O.A.T." Perfectly healthy indeed. She was well on her way to becoming the beautiful young woman he saw on the computer screen, sixteen years ago, with her well defined cheekbones, mirroring his own, and her fine, light blonde hair reaching past her shoulders now, though it was still just as messy as always and usually partially held back in some half hearted attempt of a bun or ponytail, and her eyes still held a child like spark of curiosity and mischief.

"But Dad," She protested,

"No buts, it's something we all had to go through, and you'll be fine. It's happened to everyone here in the vault, it goes along with that whole, "Born in the Vault, Die in the Vault," business."

Posey scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "But,"

"You're going to be late." Said her father, picking up her medical examination clipboard and making a few notes.

"Do we have to die in the vault?" She inquired, "Can't we ever leave?" She asked partly because she was curious, and partly because she was stalling. James fixed her with an oddly serious gaze and said, "That's not the way it works, and it won't do to go around asking questions like that. _Especially_ not around The Overseer." Posey looked ready to interrupt but James held up a hand. "I want to tell you something now. It's important, so listen closely." Posey nodded, surprised at the turn this conversation was taking.

"This place, this vault, it's not perfect, I know. But it is your home. You're safe here, stay on the good side of The Overseer and you always will be. You understand?" Her father's eyes were steadily gazing into her own, not a trace of their usual mirth or kindness. He was being oddly firm and somber today. "You need to appreciate all you have," he continued, "Because what's up there, on the outside, that's not the life I want for you, and it's not what your mother would have wanted for you either."

Posey started slightly, her father rarely brought up her mother. She could tell he missed her deeply, and it pained him to talk about her, even now.

"Okay," Said Posey meekly, "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm just nervous."

The Doctor's eyes softened and he said warmly, "Don't be, you're going to be fine, alright? I'm sure of it." He patted her knee comfortingly but then said briskly, "Now, go on and take your test. Go on, shoo." He waved her off his examination table and she grinned, hopping off and slipping out the door, giving him a cheery wave as she did so. James shook his head, smiling to himself before turning back to his clipboard. "Oh, my Posey," He mumbled under his breath, "What am I going to do with you?"

Outside her father's office, Posey heard the unfortunately familiar tones of Butch Deloria, followed closely by the snap of Amata's voice. He was bothering her _again_? She rounded the corner, straightening her spine and setting her jaw tight. She brushed a few flyaway strands of hair out of her eyes and marched straight up to Butch, cutting of his filthy remarks and asking, "Hey Butch, what's going on?" she asked cheerfully.

"Piss off, shortie." He sneered.

"Posey, don't," Said Amata, but Posey ignored her.

"What? I'm just curious." Said the doctor's daughter, with a shrug.

"This don't concern you blondie, so unless you wanna go back to your daddy with a few broken bones, I'd keep on walking."

"Oh Butch, I'd thought we'd grown past simple threats." She said with a shake of the head and a sigh. "But, since you obviously haven't, why don't we all just go our separate ways in peace. Actually not all that separate because we all have to go to the same classroom, but let's all try to end up there in one piece, sound good?"

"Alright," Said Butch, clearly at the end of his rope, pushing off the wall and advancing on Posey. "Listen here you little bitch," His face was inches from hers but Posey didn't move, simply stared back at him, eyes narrowed. "I'm sick of your crap," He snarled, teeth bared.

"No, _you_ listen here, hard ass." Said Posey, standing up straight in front of Butch and glowering at him. He looked surprised at her sudden turn of aggression, but he quickly smoothed over his shock with a sneer.

"Do you really want the might, mind and wrath of The Overseer to come raining down on you and your pathetic little gang here?" She asked, gesturing to him and the rest of the tunnel snakes. "Because if you don't, I'd consider letting off his daughter a bit. Harassing his pride and joy is not exactly a sure fire way to win his favor. And I don't think you'd want him to find out about what you and your cronies get up to. So I'd keep my greasy head down, if I were you."

Butch sneered again but to her surprise, and somewhat relief, he took a step back, looking down his nose at her and straightening his tunnel snakes jacket.

"Whatever, Daddy's little girl." He said with a sneer, "You ain't worth my time, bitch."

"Right back at you," She said to his retreating form.

"Posey," chided Amata, "He could have beaten the shit out of you!"

"But he didn't!" Said Posey cheerfully. "Which at the end of the day is all that matters. A simple thank you would have sufficed."

Amata let out a shaky laugh and shook her head. "You're going to end up on the underside of his boot some day." She remarked while the pair strolled into the classroom.

"Please," Scoffed Posey, "I'm not afraid of Butch Deloria."

Although that wasn't entirely true, because at the time of squaring off with him, it had taking all of Posey's self control to keep her hands from shaking. She didn't like getting in people's faces. She didn't like making threats. Ever since her tenth birthday, when her father had given her that look, that look of something close but not quite disappointment, after she punched Butch in the nose, she never wanted to hit someone again. She never wanted to see anything even close to disappointment on her father's face again. He always said she had a bright future ahead of her, he was sure of it. He was always "So proud of her." And Posey would always laugh and reply,

"I haven't done anything for you to be proud of yet." To which her father would just smile and shake his head.

So she had to try. She didn't know what she could possibly do, stuck down in this vault, that would make her father proud, but she would find it.

"Ah, Miss Bennett," Posey looked up into the face of her teacher, Mr. Brotch, "All set for the G.O.A.T.?" He asked with a kind smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Said Posey, her lips twitching in an effort to smile.

"Oh, don't worry about it, you'll be fine." He said, "Go ahead, take a seat."

Posey slipped into a seat behind Amata and surreptitiously wiped her sweating palms on her jumpsuit, and let out a steadying breath. Amata turned and gave her an encouraging smile while the tests were passed out, then turned back to the front of the classroom while Mr. Brotch began the test.

The questions were not at all what Posey expected, and the further into the test she got, the more incredulous she became.

_What kind of a test is this? _She thought, trying to answer as best she could, though sometimes she didn't really agree with any of the answers.

_A grandmother signing up her grandchild as a hitman?! What the hell? _

Her face must have accurately displayed her thoughts, because Mr. Brotch was trying to hold in a laugh after he glanced in her general direction.

"And finally," Said Mr. Brotch, putting down the original test down and saying in a monotone voice with a rehearsed air, "Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?"

Posey looked down at the test and snorted quietly. "Naturally." she murmured, looking down at the options of, _The Overseer, The Overseer, The Overseer, The Overseer. _Posey glanced around before quickly scribbling in a fifth option underneath.

_James Bennett._

"Alright, pencils down everyone." Said Mr. Brotch. "And please bring me your tests. You don't want to know what happens to people who fail the G.O.A.T."

"Can you do that?" asked Posey, walking beside Amata. Amata shrugged, "I don't know, and frankly I don't want to know." Responded her friend, getting in line at the teacher's desk.

"I wonder if they kick you out." Mused Posey, mostly to herself.

"Don't be ridiculous," scoffed Amata, "I know my father is strict, but he's not that strict. The vault doors haven't been opened in years. Two hundred, to be exact."

Posey shrugged as Amata handed in her test. "Just a theory," She said. When it came time to hand Mr. Brotch her test, Posey felt her heart pound in her chest. She handed it over and waited for Mr. Brotch to look it over. Her stomach clenched when she saw him frown slightly at the last question on her test,

_Oh no, _she thought wildly, _they're going to kick me out. Stupid Overseer question. Stupid me for trying to be funny! _

"Well Posey," He said, sliding her test into a folder and saying with a smile, "Looks like you're the Vault's new Marriage Counselor."

Posey's jaw dropped and Mr. Brotch laughed, "It almost makes me want to get married, just to be able to avail myself of your services."

"Marriage counselor?" she protested, "Who is going to take marital advice from a sixteen year old who's never even had a boyfriend?!"

Mr. Brotch laughed again and shooed her off. "Oh, you'll be fine Posey, go on."

Posey walked out of the classroom, still looking perplexed, and mildly distressed. "Marriage counselor?" She whispered under her breath, "How on earth-"

She walked back to her father's clinic in a slight daze. Jonas looked up at her with a smile and said, "Ah, so, are we talking to the next Overseer? Or perhaps, the next Vault Doctor?" Jonas's smile widened, "No, I know what it is. The next vault librarian! You've got enough books to supply the everyone with at least one."

"Ha ha ha." Said Posey, pulling a face at Jonas, but immediately covering it up with a smile. "No, you are in fact, talking to the Vault's new Marriage Counselor." Said Posey, a little miserably.

Jonas laughed so hard, he fell off his desk chair, and his pencil went rolling away. James however, got up and smiled widely at his daughter, giving her a hug and saying, "That's great sweetie! I'm sure you'll be a wonderful Marriage Counselor."

"But," She looked up at him, at a loss for words "But I'm only sixteen!" She protested, "I'm sixteen and I've never even had a boyfriend. How can I give people advice on how to save a marriage!"

"You'll be fine." He assured her, "Most of the time, people just need someone else to listen, and you can listen very well."

Posey huffed, causing a stray lock of hair to flutter upwards. "I wanted to work in the clinic, with you." She said, sulkily.

James laughed and went back to his desk, "Posey, you will make a fine marriage counselor." He said, turning back to his work.

"Yeah but I wanted a useful job." She muttered, sitting on the edge of his desk and flicking the head of his Vault Tec bobblehead. "Like Medicine, or even Vault Mateinces."

"I'm sure the couples you counsel will find you very useful."

Posey groaned, "Dad, you're being very annoyingly optimistic."

He raised an eyebrow, looking up at her with a slight smirk. "Do you want me to tell you that you're going to make a dreadful counselor and that you'll hate your job for the rest of your life and always regret the day you took the G.O.A.T. to your last breath. Because if that is your only regret in life, I'd say you're doing just fine."

"See!" She cried, pointing at him. "Optimistic, again! I think you are physically incapable of being negative."

"I could give you evidence that would crumble that claim." Called Jonas, his laughs finally subsiding and hauling himself back into his chair. James shot him a withering look before glancing at his Pip-Boy for the time.

"Tell you what, why don't we leave Jonas here to finish up and we go down to the reactor level for a quick game of catch, what do you say?"

"Dad, I'm not twelve." She said, rolling her eyes. Though her lips twitched in an effort to suppress a smile.

"Oh, well then." He said, raising his eyebrows, "You sure you're not just scared I'll beat you?"

"Beat me!" She laughed, "We're tossing a baseball back and forth, how could you possibly beat me?"

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it." He said with a smile, getting to his feet. "Come on."

Down on the reactor level, Posey punched her glove with her free hand, making an indentation for the ball while her dad warmed up his arm a little,

"So," He asked, tossing the baseball up in the air and catching it again. "Are you really upset at being a Marriage Counselor?"

"No, not really." Said Posey thoughtfully. "I mean, it's not something I've dreamed about since I was little and I don't think I'll be super passionate about it, but it's not a bad job. At least it's not waste management."

"There you go," He said, smiling and throwing her the baseball. "Now who's being optimistic!"

Posey smiled and caught it deftly, before throwing it back.

"Did you have a certain job in mind when you went to take the test?" He asked, "Is there some job you've been dreaming about your entire life, that will now never come to pass, leaving that part of you empty and unfulfilled?" He teased. Posey rolled her eyes and held up her gloved hand, a silent prompt to throw the ball to her again. He did so, and Posey felt it smack solidly into her gloved hand. She picked up the ball, looking at it thoughtfully, running a finger down it's red seam.

"Well, like I said. I wanted to work with you, but, my childhood dream job was to be an explorer."

James's smile froze, as he watched his daughter examine the baseball.

"Not much to explore down here," He said, forcing his tone to be light. "But I'm sure there are still some levels here you could discover something new on."

"You know what I mean," She said, looking up at him. "I wanted to explore outside."

"Posey-"

"I know, I know. This vault is my home. It's what mom wanted for me, and I respect that. I know I'm lucky and that upstairs is a total mess with mutants and raiders and that people are selfish and cruel, but I can't help but be curious. It can't be all bad, out there. There has to be good people left, somewhere. Maybe they just have forgotten what it's like to be good, and they need a reminder."

"Posey, these are blood thirsty, cold hearted killers we're talking about here, not naughty puppies." He said sternly, "Here, you're safe. You have so much-"

"I know!" She snapped, "I know," her voice was softer this time. Her father stepped forward and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Posey," he said gently, "listen to me. I know this vault isn't perfect." He let out a humorless laugh, "Believe me, I know. But you're _safe here. _You don't know how much that means to me. Your safety is the only thing that matters to me. If you were up there, out in the Wasteland, you have no idea what it's like."

"And you do?"

James Bennett froze as Posey looked up at him, looking suddenly much older than he had ever realized. She was growing up, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Dad, at my tenth birthday party, Old Lady Palmer said she remembered when you came here. What did she mean? This whole 'Born in the Vault, Die in the Vault' is it true? Were you born here? And if so, how do you know what the Wasteland is like? Maybe it's changed. Maybe they're are cities out there, full of happy, healthy people. Maybe-"

"Posey, you can't go around asking questions like that, if The Overseer-"

"Dad," She looked up at him, deadly serious. "Were you born in this vault?"

He looked down at her, and her eyes, the eyes she'd inherited from him, didn't waver.

"Yes, of course I was"

The lie felt like a physical wound, it tore out of him, leaving a gaping emptiness behind. Posey's eyes searched his face, and he saw nothing but trust in their blue depths. She trusted him completely.

And it just about broke his heart.

"Okay." She said simply.

"Come on, let's go get some dinner." He said, numbly, turning and walking back up the vault corridor.

"Dad," Posey jogged to catch up with him, "you're not mad at me, are you?"

Her brows were knitted together in concern and James smiled slightly, ruffling her already messy hair and saying quietly, "Of course not, sweetie. I just worry. That's all."

"You don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself." She said with a smile, catching up with him and gently bumping into him. He smiled, and Posey was surprised to see something like sadness in his eyes as leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad to hear it." he said,

"Dad?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"You're definitely my favorite dad ever."

He smiled but felt like someone was tugging his heart out of his chest.

"I love you too, Posey. Never forget that."

She looked up at him, "Don't let me forget."

* * *

Three Years Later

He couldn't do this. How could he even think about it? James Bennett passed outside his daughter's room, running his hands threw his graying hair. On the coffee table in front of him was a small leather backpack and next to it, all his notes on Project Purity. He was so so close. He could feel it. Project Purity would change the world. It would make it better. The outside world Posey wanted to believe was out there could come happen. He was sure it could. And James could make it happen. It was what Catherine would have wanted. It was what he wanted. He looked back at the closed vault door, where on the other side Posey slept soundly.

He couldn't leave her with no explanation, no goodbye. He couldn't leave.

_Damnit James, she's nineteen years old! She's not a child!_ He argued with himself furiously. But she WAS a child! She was his child. His baby girl.

_She's hardly a baby anymore._

But he remembered when she had been. He had always been there for her. When she was scared or hurt, he was there to dry her tears and put her fears to rest.

_"It's okay Posey, it's alright sweetie, I'm right here, Daddy's right here. My brave girl, I'll always be right here."_

_But not anymore._ He thought miserably. He'd been standing there for ten minutes, going over every argument he could think of.

_This will be for her good. For all of our good._

She was the last good thing this charred out hunk of a planet had to offer. He had to keep her here. Keep her safe.

A sudden feeling of utter calm encompassed him, and he stopped pacing. It was as he'd said to her. Here she was safe. To stay here with her, or even worse, to take her with him, would be the worst act of selfishness he could commit. He glanced to the wall, where the framed phrase of Revelations 21:6 greeted him. 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely'.

He would do this. He would do this for Catherine, for Posey. For them, he would do anything.

He looked back at the door, his hand hovering over the button to open it. If he could just see her, one last time, even if she was just sleeping. Kiss her brow, tell her loved her, and he was sorry. That he was doing this for her. Guilt twisted in his stomach. She would feel so betrayed. He could practically see her face when she awoke to find him gone. Anger, hurt, and sadness would all play across it. And it would be all his fault.

He knew Jonas was waiting for him. He had wasted enough time as it was.

He placed a hand against the cool metal of the door. "I love you, Posey, never forget that." He whispered.

He took the framed bible verse from the wall, and slipped the paper from the frame, folding it up and placing it in his pocket. He hiked his backpack up on his shoulder, the same bag that he had taken when Posey was just a baby, and he had turned his back on Project Purity, seemingly forever. Well, now he was turning back, and there was no way he was quitting again. He was seeing Project Purity through to the end.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Posey rolled over, pulling the covers of her head and groaning. "What time is it?" She mumbled, lips thick with sleep.

"Damnit Posey get up!"

Her blankets were yanked off her head and her shoulder shaken rather rudely. Posey sat up quickly, scowling and her mouth open to say something angry, but she was surprised to see Amata, standing beside her bed and looking terrified.

"Amata?" She said, rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing? What's going on?"

Amata's dark, liquid eyes were enormous and she was trembling. "Posey, you've got to get out of here!" She said, "My father...his men are looking for you. He's gone crazy, they killed Jonas! They're..they're going to k-k-kill you!"

Posey's fists clenched, clutching handfuls of her blanket. "Amata, slow down, what are you talking about? Where's my dad?"

Amata looked up at her, "Posey, " She said softly, "you're dad is gone."

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow, and I thought the last chapter was a beast! I'm sorry if you guys are bored to tears with all this beginning, set up stuff. I hope I made interesting! Thank you so much for reading! You guys have no idea how much it means to me. I promise the next chapter will be more exciting! Reviews are always helpful! ****This Chapter's song is **_**Growing Up **_**by The Maine. It's not a super fit, but it'll have to do. Also, the title of this fic is subject to change. I'm giving it some thought. I don't think the current one really fits. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know! They are most appreciated.**

**Thank you lovelies! Goodbye!**


	3. Escape

Chapter Three

Escape

**Feel no pain, but my life ain't easy**

**I know I'm my best friend**

**No one cares, but I'm so much stronger**

**I'll fight until the end**

**To escape from the true false world**

**Undamaged destiny**

**Can't get caught in the endless circle**

**Ring of stupidity**

**Out of my own, out to be free**

**One with my mind, they just can't see**

**No need to hear things that they say**

**Life is for my own to live my own way**

"What do you mean my dad is gone?" Said Posey, she was wide awake now, but still confused, and much to Amata's distress, still in bed. "He can't be gone. He's probably just in his office, working late. What time is it?"

She was acting so nonchalant that Amata wanted to scream. Amata took Posey's shoulders and gave her a shake, "Would you please get out of bed for God's sake!" Shouted her friend, tears spilling out of her eyes. "You're dad has left the vault! And my dad has gone crazy! He had his guards KILL Jonas! And they're going to do the same to you!"

"Amata, my dad wouldn't have left without telling me! He wouldn't have _left_! I'm sure he's just in his office! Maybe he fell asleep behind his desk he does that sometimes, come one, we'll go look together."

"Posey stop being so damn naive!" Hissed Amata, "I know your dad left! I saw him do it! He's gone! He left the vault and you need to go after him or my father's men are going to kill you!" Amata picked up a empty duffle bag at the end of Posey's bed and started throwing things haphazardly into it, while Posey stared at her, head swimming.

"But,"

"_I know this vault isn't perfect, sweetie, but you need to stay here."_

"_Of course I was born in the Vault."_

"_Born in the Vault, Die in the Vault."_

"_Posey, promise me, whatever happens, you'll stay here, where it's safe."_

"_I love you, never forget that, and I will _never _leave you."_

"He-" Posey was staring blankly ahead, "He said,"

"Posey, you need to go! Listen, there's a secret tunnel through my dad's office. You can pick the lock with these." Amata handed Posey a handful of bobby pins. "You'll have to hack into his terminal to access the tunnels opening but it shouldn't be too hard. You know how to hack a computer, right?"

Posey nodded listlessly, "Jonas taught me." She said absently. Amata looked at her with concern, placing a comforting hand on her friends shoulder. "You have no idea why he left, do you?" She asked quietly.

"No," Said Posey, her eyebrows knitting together, "He always told me how important it was to stay in the Vault, that I could never leave because the Wasteland was dangerous."

"Well," Said Amata grimly, "The Wasteland isn't the only dangerous place anymore. Here, I found this in my dad's office."

She placed a ten millimeter pistol in Posey's grip and handed her the duffle bag she'd packed. Amata had thoroughly cleared out Posey's room, even adding a very battered copy of _A Tale of Two Cities_, a book they'd had to read for school, and the picture of Posey and her father on her tenth birthday. Posey slung it over her shoulder, and picked up the baseball bat leaning against the door frame. The pistol's holster had a belt that was a little too big for her, but she cinched it tight anyway and slipped it in. It was heavier than she expected, the weight uncomfortably present at her hip.

"I'll try and meet you at the exit." Said Amata, before vanishing.

_I can't believe it, _thought Posey numbly, _he left, he left me.. _

_Maybe he's just in his office, Amata could be wrong. Or maybe she's pranking me. _She thought quickly, stepping out of her room and looking around the living room she and her father had shared for nineteen years. It looked exactly the same. Surely there would be some sign that he had gone, he would have taken something, or left a note! She turned, out of habit, to close her bedroom door, and then she saw it, an empty stretch of wall, where her mother's favorite passage use to reside.

_He's gone. _

That blank wall had convinced her more thoroughly than Amata ever could have. Her father had left the vault, and he hadn't said a word to her about it. There had been no sign, last night he had looked up from his paperwork and told her goodnight when she announced she was going to bed, and that was all. There had been no trace of deceit in his familiar, kind eyes. He had joked with her that morning, teased her about the date she had planned with Freddy Gomez for that weekend. Asked her if she was sure she didn't want to stay in with her dear old dad and help him file patient reports instead. There had been absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Now he was gone.

How dare he?! How dare he leave her here, when he knew, he KNEW how much Posey wanted to see what the Wasteland was really like! Why wouldn't he tell her! Where was he going? _Why _he was going...

She had stepped out of her living quarters in a daze, not really minding where she was going. She was brought back to her unfavorable situation by a shout from a guard.

"Hey! I found her!"

Posey's chin jerked up and she saw the man advancing on her, police baton raised and face twisted in a terrifying expression of animal like rage.

Her heart pounded a vicious and erratic rhythm in her chest and she felt rooted to the spot, paralyzed by some primal instinct of fear. Eyes wide, hands gripping the strap of her duffle bag so tightly her nails bit into her palms and her knuckles turned white, her lips slightly parted in an expression of utter shock mingled with fear.

_Run you idiot! _Her head screamed, but she couldn't! And he was coming closer, baton raised, ready to send it crashing down on her skull, when-

She heard them before she saw them. They're scuttling legs and harsh buzzing of wings, and an entire swarm of radroaches rounded the corner, accosting the guard, who swore loudly and started beating the creatures back.

"Don't think I haven't forgot about you, you little bitch." Snarled the guard, but the sight of the Radroaches had finally snapped Posey back to her senses. Funny how a couple of bugs could strike enough fear into her to cause her to bolt, while a blood thirsty man wielding a thick, wooden baton had not.

_Whatever works,_ She thought idly.

Adrenaline had finally started to kick in, and Posey could feel herself moving faster. She remembered in one of her father's old medical journals, the effect adrenaline had on people.

_The Adrenal glands, located on top of the kidneys, send a chemical receptor to the brain, more specifically to the hypothalamus where-_

"Hey! Wait!"

A hand clamped down on her shoulder and Posey instantly switched from 'Flight,' to 'Fight'. She felt her muscles contract in a way that wouldn't have ordinarily been possible as she clipped whoever it was in the jaw with her elbow as she whirled around, hand flying to the pistol at her hip and pulling it clumsily from the holster at her hip.

She had it's trembling barrel pressed up under the jaw of Butch Deloria, whose eyes were enormously wide, and his hands were up in surrender.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy!" He stuttered, his voice cracking.

Posey was panting, and her hands were shaking but she immediately lowered the pistol, placing it back in it's holster. "Sorry Butch." She said, feeling suddenly pale and weak. Her short burst of hormone stimulated superpowers was over.

_Damn it. _She thought, pushing back stray hairs, _That probably would have come in handy._

"I don't care, just listen! My mom is trapped in there with radroaches and you gotta help her!" Butch looked frantic and his chin trembled, and Posey felt a sympathetic twinge towards her old childhood bully, and a small thrill of something else.

_This shmuck is _really _asking for _my _help? Oh Irony, my old friend._ She thought, shaking her head. "Listen Butch, I've got a lot on my plate right now and considering how much of an ass hole you've been to me my ENTIRE LIFE you have got to understand the irony of this situation. It actually kind of makes me want to laugh out loud a little."

"I know! I'm sorry, but you know I never meant any of it right?"

Posey snorted,

"Please!" Butch was getting desperate, "I'll do anything you want! I'll be your best friend forever just _please_ help my mom."

Posey sighed and unhooked her baseball bat from her duffle bag, "Where is she Butch?"

"Oh thank god!" He cried, actually grabbing her face and kissing her, full on the mouth. "Thank you! She's this way!"

Posey jerked back spluttering and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand before following him down the hall to his living quarters.

_Dad leaves the Vault and Butch Deloria kisses me, the whole bleeding world's gone upside down!_ Thought Posey, wiping her mouth again.

She could hear Butch's mother's cries and the buzzing of radroaches as they approached the door and Posey charged inside before she could give herself time to think about how much she hated bugs and how many radroaches there probably were.

She saw Mrs. Deloria, cornered and screeching, waving her arms above her head in an effort to shoo the bugs away and Posey charged right in, baseball bat held at the ready, and brought it crashing down on the nearest roach, crushing it instantly and actually denting the metal floor beneath it. She disposed of the other creatures similarly and stood among their disgusting remains, arms soar and chest heaving.

"You did it!" Crowed Butch, bounding forward and grinning widely. "You creamed those bastards!"

He leaned forward but Posey quickly held up a hand, "Let's not do anything either of us will regret later." Said Posey shortly, and Butch smiled,

"Your alright kid, here, take this." He shuffled out of his leather tunnel snakes jacket and held it out to her. "I know it isn't much," He said apologetically, "but it's all I've got."

Posey hesitantly took the jacket and pulled it on. It drowned her slim frame but she didn't really notice. "This has been one hell of a night." She said simply. "You're being nice to me, and The Overseer wants to kill me. What has the world come to?"

Butch's smile disappeared, "What?" He said, frowning. "Old man Almodovar wants you dead?"

But posey was already on her way out the door,

"Probably best if you didn't see me tonight, savy?" She called over her shoulder.

"But, why?"

Posey was gone, swallowed up by the metal throat of the vault.

* * *

It was eerily quiet in the halls, nothing but her running footfalls echoing on the steel below, and around her. She felt she should have run into some guards by now. She wasn't complaining, but she wished she were closer to being away from here. How strange that she was actually running away, after always daydreaming about it when she was younger.

A slow smile crawled onto her face. She was leaving. She was going to see what the outside world was like. She felt partially terrified and partially ecstatic. So what if she was getting actively chased from her home? So far, she hadn't even received a scratch! She was going to rule the Wasteland. And her father thought she couldn't handle herself out there. Well, she certainly showed him!

"Hey kid!"

Posey let out a yelp and lost her footing, taking a painful tumble onto the hard steel flooring, and skidding to a stop, her pistol skittering away across the metal floor.

"Shit," She hissed, scrambling to upwards and backing up, still on all fours, feeling desperately for her gun, panic building in her chest. She felt someone haul her up under her armpits and her weapon was shoved back into her hand and she turned to see Officer Gomez looking at her, worry all over his face.

"You're lucky it was me who found you, the other's won't be so forgiving." He said hurriedly. "I don't know what you're up to, I don't understand what's got into people around here, you're a good kid. But you need to go, and quickly. Just clear out of here, and I'll pretend I never saw you."

"And I guess I'll pretend you don't work for a homicidal maniac!" Responded Posey shortly. She was tired of people telling her to clear out and get lost. She was working on it, after all! If all these people would just quit interrupting her.

"Don't I know it," huffed Gomez, looking around, his voice dropped to a whisper, "that's why I'm letting you go. I guess you're trying to follow your dad..outside." He shuddered, "Good Gravy, if I didn't know what The Overseer would do if he caught you I'd say don't do it, but it's your only shot." He patted her on the shoulder. "Take care, I hope you find your daddy."

A lump form in her throat at the mention of her father and she looked down clearing her throat before saying, "Thanks, Officer Gomez." He nodded and the pair separated, Posey heading towards The Overseer's office, and Officer Gomez, back up the hall.

"Wait! Officer Gomez!" Cried Posey, whirling around. The man stopped and turned around, looking back at the slight figure of Posey Bennett. Under the fluorescent lights, she looked deathly pale, and her light blonde hair almost glowed silver. Posey swallowed and said, her voice trying and failing to remain even. "Tell Freddy, thanks for the invite, it means a lot. But I don't think I'll be able to make that date Friday night."

Officer Gomez's eyes softened and he nodded gently. "I will."

"Thanks."

The novelty of escape had worn off now as she turned and hurried up the corridor. Sure she had wanted it, dreamed of it even, but it had been a child's fancy, an ideal dream. Her life was here, and her father was right, here was where she was safe. What was she thinking! She couldn't survive on the wasteland! She hadn't even fired her stupid gun yet, and the damn radroaches scared her. She was sure it would be worse up there, out in the open.

She heard arguing voices up ahead and stopped listening.

"Mary! We could escape here! That Doctor did it, why not us!"

"Tom, that's crazy, we have no idea what life is like up there!"

"It wouldn't have to be much to be better than here." Said the first voice bitterly, and Posey recognized it as Tom and Mary Cusham, a couple she had actually had in one of her counseling sessions.

"I'm going for it." Said the determined voice of Tom, while Mary pleaded,

"No! Tom, wait!"

There was a loud pop that Posey immediately recognized as gunfire and her heart stopped momentarily before she scrambled out of her hiding place, Screaming "Wait! Stop!"

But her protests were cut off by a high animal like scream of anguish and a sob from Mary,

"Tom!" She screeched, dropping to her knees in next to her husband, who was lying on his back, twitching slightly and lying in a pool of crimson. Posey stared in horror at the guards who were know taking aim at Mary, and her stunned feet carried her forward before she could think, her left hand was up, flagging the guards attention, while her right found her pistol.

"I said STOP!" She shouted, surprised at the steadiness of her voice, and her hand as she pointed the gun at the guards, who looked from the weeping form of Mary up to her.

"Holy shit, it's her!" One shouted, while they others let loose a hailstorm of bullets. Posey narrowly voided being hit as she scrambled behind a steel column and heard the bullets hit the metal around her, her heart pounding in her chest. "shit shit shit shit SHIT!" She hissed under her breath, trying to dislodge the safety of her gun as she heard the guards booted feet rushing towards her.

With another angry curse, she dropped the gun back in it's holster, gripped her baseball bat tight and whirled around the corner of the column, swinging her bat hard into the chest of the nearest officer, then grabbing him by the straps of his bulletproof vest and using him as a shield before ducking around him and whacking the gun in the hand of the remaining guard like it was a well thrown pitch.

The weapon flew threw the air and spun way on the ground and Posey held her bat up threateningly while the guard still standing drew his baton, looking slightly nervous.

She had no idea where any of that had come from. All instinct, she guessed. That, or too much time reading Grognak the Barbarian as a child.

"Listen," Said the guard in what she assumed was suppose to be a soothing voice, though it trembled too much to be of any use. "put down the bat, and come with me, The Overseer just wants to chat,"

"The hell he does." She snarled, "Which one of you bastards killed Jonas, huh?"

His hesitation was all she needed, she dropped the bat and punched him square in the nose, which resulted in him dropping like a stone and Posey clutching her now injured hand and wailing.

"Damn it!" She hissed, shaking out her hand. Her knuckles throbbed, and she guessed she fractured a bone or two in there on that idiots hard head.

She was wasting precious time, but she scooped up her baseball bat and ran to check on Mary, placing an aching hand on the sobbing women's shoulder. "Mary? Are you alright?" She asked softly.

"Of course I'm not alright!" She snapped, "My husband is DEAD and it's all your fault!"

Posey jerked back like the words had been a slap, "Mary I-"

"You and your selfish bastard of a father!"

Posey backed up, shaking her head jerkily. She looked down at what use to be Tom Cusham and felt bile rise in her throat. He had three bullet wounds in his chest, and each had a horrible dark red ring around them, staining the dark blue of his vault tec suit. His blank, glassy eyes stared up at nothing and he had a trickle of blood from his mouth. Posey turned and ran, forcing herself to breath in through her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. Mary's words still rang in her ears,

"_This is all your fault! You and your selfish bastard of a father!" _

Tears were blurring her vision as she stumbled against the vault's wall, the lump of unshed tears making it difficult to breath as she choked back a sob. She used the wall to hold herself up as she struggled to get a hold of her tears, and she heard a muffled voice shout.

"This is all your fault! Your stupid father! He had to go and run of to get himself killed and screw the rust of us over down here!"

She looked up to see a vault dweller she barely talked to scream at her through a plate of glass, while an officer upended all the belongings in his room. Before the officer could look up Posey was on the run again, her breath hitching in her throat. She kept running until she heard another cry of pain and stopped, panting and saying in exasperation, "Oh for the love of all things good and holy what NOW?!"

She jogged forward, breathing heavily and peered inside a room to see Amata cowering in a chair, The Overseer and Officer Mack standing in front of her. Posey reached the window just in time to see Officer mack deliver a vicious slap to her friend, causing Amata's head to jerk violently to the right. Posey felt like she herself had been slapped as she watched in horror as The Overseer simply stood there, regarding his daughter's bruised face impassively.

"That son of a bitch." Growled Posey, pounding on the doors controls and barging into the room. All the occupants turned to her and surprise, and Officer Mack charged forward, and before Posey could do anything, his baton had connected squarely with her cheek, sending a flash of white hot pain across her face and blinding her temporarily. She swung blindly, and heard her bat connect with something solid and a bit of swear word before Amata shouted, "Look out!"

Her vision was slowly returning as she saw Mack raising his weapon again, bearing his teeth in animalistic ferocity as Posey ducked quickly to the side, his baton still clipped her shoulder though, and she swung, aiming for his head this time. Her bat connected with a sickening crunch and Mack dropped like a stone. Which was good because her right arm was rendered just about completely useless from her aching, possibly dislocated shoulder to her fractured metacarpals and everything in between.

The Overseer looked at her through narrowed eyes, hands behind his back.

"I hope you're here to turn yourself in, young lady." he said, his tone as cold and unforgiving as the steel vault walls surrounding them.

"I'm here to stop you from abusing your daughter," Said Posey angrily, raising her bat threateningly, despite her aching arm.

"It is your fault Amata was in that position." Said The Overseer.

"My fault?" Posey let out a humourless laugh and used her bat to point at him, saying, "my fault that you're a psychopath who gets off on your so called authority? Almodovar, you're one sick puppy and that's no one's fault but your own."

Amata had slipped away as she saw the cold fury in her father's eyes, and at Posey's feet, Officer Mack stirred. Posey backed up slightly, heading for the door.

"My father is a brilliant man but he was wrong about one thing, this vault isn't the place for me."

"Your father is a foolish, idealistic simpleton!" Hissed the older man, "He didn't know a good thing when he had it and now you're both going to pay for his mistake!"

Posey smirked, "Who's going to make us pay? You?" She kicked Officer Mack's groaning form, "Your guard dog here? No, I'm not afraid of you, Overseer. Have a nice life, you son of a bitch."

She darted out of the room and started pounding buttons on the command panel next to it as Almodovar shouted, "Guards! Guards help!" The door slammed down and Percy smirked as she heard the lock engage. Another little trick she had learned from Jonas.

_Jonas._

He was dead. Somewhere, here in the vault. Dead, and she was gloating over bashing in a man's head and locking another one in a cell, essentially. She felt sick suddenly and the pain in her arm increased dramatically. Her head swimming with pain and choking on despair, the doctor's daughter ran down the hall, practically tripping down a set of stairs and barely kept herself from falling at the bottom of them. She knew she was close. So close. She looked up, through the tears clouding her vision she could see the dim hallway that would take her directly to the office.

She was just starting to get a grip on her hysteria when she found him.

_Jonas_

Her breath hitched in her throat and she practically crumpled next to him, feeling waves of nausea overcome her and chills travel down her spine as she looked at her friend. He'd been an older brother to her, "The annoying brother she'd never wanted." She'd called him. Now here he lay, his leg at an unnatural angle beneath him, glasses askew and a smear of blood across his forehead.

Posey didn't bother holding back her sobs this time as she bowed her head over the fallen man, her trembling shoulders causing her injured one to hurt even more.

"I'm sorry," She said, eyes streaming, tears dripping onto his still face. "I'm so sorry Jonas."

She reached out a shaking hand and straightened his glasses on his face, and carefully straightened his lab coat. That's when she noticed his clenched hand, stuffed into his lab coat's pocket. Her name was printed on it, in very familiar, even handwriting.

Shaking worse than ever now, Posey carefully retrieved it from Jonas's cold hand. It was a difficult task, his body had already become stiff. He had clearly prevented the guards or the overseer from taking it.

"Thank you, Jonas." She said, wiping the tears from her face with the heel of her palm, and tucking the holotape into her pocket. She _knew _her father wouldn't leave without telling her anything. He wouldn't do that to her.

With one last agonizing look at Jonas, Posey got to her feet, took shaky steps back to the hallway, and up it, towards her goal.

One picked lock and hacked terminal later, Posey was stumbling through the secret tunnel under the overseer's desk then, she was standing in front of the enormous, cog shaped door. She simply stared at it, panting and aching all over.

The whole world rested on the other side of that door. Her father was out there, somewhere. A few steps more and she would be free. Escape from this place. This steel mausoleum with it's oblivious occupants, shuffling about in it's metal innards.

"You made it. I don't believe it."

Posey turned to see Amata, her bruise already blooming into brilliant blues and purples and causing her eye to swell up.

"Yeah, I don't believe it either." Said Posey listlessly.

"So, I guess this is goodbye." Said Amata, looking at her lifelong friend. Posey looked at the enormous door behind her, then back at Amata.

"It doesn't have to be. You could come with me."

Amata looked at the door, terror in her eyes. "No, I can't."

"Amata please, come with me!" Pleaded Posey, "I-I"

_I don't want to do this on my own._ She thought. Amata shook her head jerkily, "I can't, this is my home. It's where I belong."

"It was my home too."

"No," Said Amata, "I don't think it ever really was."

Posey jerked back, stunned and hurt. "Fine." She said evenly, walking over and yanking down the lever to open the door with more force than was probably necessary.

"Posey, I didn't mean that, it's just, you never really belonged here anyway."

Posey laughed, a cold hard thing, which was shortly drowned out by a grinding of metal on metal, and a short bang of a nearby fire arm. Posey looked up to see Guards rushing towards her, guns at the ready and she quickly vaulted the railing, landing directly in front of Amata who looked terrified.

"I'll see you around, Amata." She said bitterly, before ducking under the partially opened vault door and running over the now uneven ground.

She didn't have time to process that this was technically her first time her feet touched planet earth, that this was the first time she had breathed fresh air. She stumbled over the uneven ground, expecting to feel bullets in her back, or in the dirt around her,but there was nothing. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw the guards, hovering at the door to the vault. They didn't dare to chase after her.

"Cowards!" Posey called, slowing her ungainly run and turning around to face them full on. "What, you afraid of a little dirt!" She jeered.

In response, they raised their guns and fired. A bullet grazed her forehead as she turned and ran pell mell to the slatted wooden door at the end of the cave, blood quickly trickling down into her eyes as she threw herself without a second thought at the door.

Her sore shoulder connected with the centuries old wood and rusted metal and the whole door squealed in protest as and fell flat, quickly followed by the horrible crunch of metal on metal again as the vault door shut behind her.

Posey lay, curled up on the remains of the door and kept her eyes tight shut as bright _bright _penetrating light attacked her retinas, iris, rods, cones EVERYTHING. It was so warm too, bordering on hot, soaking right through her suit and burning her skin.

Sunlight. It had to be.

Posey hesitantly opened her eyes, but it was like she'd been staring straight into one of the vault's fluorescent lights. Everything was just white. But slowly, her eyes adjusted, and Posey felt her heart crowd up into her throat.

It was going to be impossible to find her father out here. She suddenly became aware of how battered she was. Her shoulder pulsed with pain every so often and her forehead stung from where the bullet had grazed her, sending a steady stream of blood down her face. She was alone, with no idea where to go, and she was angry. She missed her father, and Amata had all but kicked her out of the Vault, saying she had never really belonged there anyway.

She finally allowed the pain of her friends words to sink in, and Posey felt like crying. But she didn't have any tears left. Amata had been her best friend for nineteen years. They told each other everything. They defended each other and Posey had loved her like the sister she never had. And Amata had turned her back on her out of fear.

Posey wished she could cry, but she suddenly just felt exhausted. She knew she couldn't take another step today. She knew it had to be around midday, with the sun being how it was. She'd learned to tell time by the sun from her favorite Pre-War survival book. But she didn't care. She was tired. She got up on trembling legs and dragged the fallen door to a bit of cliff face next to the opening of the cave, and propped it against it, to form a sort of a lean to. She pulled out the blanket Amata had taken from her bed and laid it in the small space of shade her make to hut had created, and used her duffle bag as a pillow, after drapping her two spare jumpsuits at either end to enclose herself in her small, stuffy shelter. Posey lay on the hard, lumpy ground and stared apathetically up at the wood above her. "Dad," she murmured, feeling miserable. "Where are you?"

The pain in her shoulder was nothing compared to the pit in her heart her father had caused by his leaving, and his voice was what lulled her to sleep,

"_I love you too, Posey. Never forget."_

"_Don't let me forget," _

Despite her quick and deep fall into slumber's embrace, a single tear slipped out of her closed eye.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, you'll notice I've changed the structure of my chapters a little. I like having the AN at the end of the chapter, and I've also added some lyrics to the song I've chosen, the ones I feel fit the chapter best. So what do you guys think? Like it? Love it? Hate it and wish to damn me and my posterity to hell? I'd love to know so PLEASE review. I know I'm sounding whiny but this chapter really was a toughie to crank out. I want the action to be, actiony (wow, such eloquence, much words) but believable and I want to know what you guys think. I'm totally begging you guys here, review review! **

**I'll go back and change up the format of the previous chapters soon, but I just wanted to get you guys something because I was gone all weekend. I don't know how I feel about the end. Gah! Forget it, it's up. Just review please! And as always, thank you so much for reading! Goodbye!**


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